In cleaning up roads, sidewalks a forgotten target

Residents who don't shovel could be fined $50

Getting around Montgomery County for pedestrians and bus commuters is proving to be quite an undertaking, as many county residents have yet to comply with a county law requiring sidewalks to be shoveled within 24 hours after snow stops falling.

"We're really encouraging people in neighborhoods to help each other out," said county spokeswoman Donna Bigler. "It's a pedestrian safety issue. We've got people walking in the streets because they can't get through the sidewalks."

Throughout the county many sidewalks remain buried under snow banks, making it difficult for people who walk to work or use bus stops.

"I've noticed in my travels that in some cases the sidewalks are clear, but people can't see that over the snow banks," Bigler said.

So far this winter, the county has received 110 complaints from residents about unshoveled sidewalks, including about 30 this month, Bigler said.

Under a county law passed in 2001, residents have 24 hours to clear their sidewalks. Failure to comply can result in a $50 fine.

"Now that roads are being cleared people are focusing on the sidewalks," Bigler said.

If the county receives a complaint involving a single-family home, it sends out a letter informing the resident of the county law and gives them 10 days to comply, she said.

"Generally, most people comply at that point," Bigler said.

Of the 110 letters sent out this year, only one has resulted in a housing code enforcement citation, and that was in January, she said.

If a complaint involves a commercial property or multifamily dwelling, a code enforcement inspector is sent out, Bigler said.

Metro derailment investigated

The derailment of a Red Line train to Shady Grove Metro Station on Friday in downtown Washington, D.C., is the latest mishap to strike the troubled Metro system in the past year.

Three passengers suffered minor bumps and bruises in the derailment, Metro officials said.

The derailment occurred near the Farragut North Metro Station, just north of the White House, as the train traveled north on what is known as a "pocket track" between Farragut North and Dupont Circle. Metro officials said they are uncertain why the train was on the pocket track.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the derailment, the fourth ongoing investigation by the federal agency involving Metro in the past eight months, said NTSB spokesman Terry N. Williams.

"That is part of the ongoing investigation," Williams said.

The station was closed for about two hours, and passengers were shuttled by buses from Gallery Place/Chinatown to Dupont Circle station until the Farragut North station reopened about noon Friday.

Roughly 345 passengers were on the train when the incident occurred at 10:13 a.m. The passengers were moved to the last four cars of the six-car train. The shortened train then returned to the Farragut North station, where the passengers were discharged.

Metro has faced a series of accidents, some fatal, including the worst accident in the system's 33-year history on June 22, when a Red Line crash killed nine people and injured 70.

State restores stream

The State Highway Administration approved a $5.3 million project to restore more than three miles of a stream along the Intercounty Connector.

The state awarded the project to Environmental Quality Resources LLC of Arbutus as part of the ICC's Environmental Mitigation and Stewardship Program.

Crews are to begin work this week along the street in the Northwest Branch Stream Valley Park. Over the years, uncontrolled rainwater runoff has caused the stream to lose many of its natural characteristics, the state said.

As part of the effort to stop bank erosion, the state will use large tree trunks harvested from the ICC right-of-way to help restore the stream's natural character, the state said.

The project is expected to take two years.

About $370 million of the ICC's $2.5 billion budget is for environmental projects, according to the state.

Staff writer Jeremy Arias contributed to this report.

Maryland groups tout

federal rail investment

The allocation of nearly $70 million in federal funds for improvements to Maryland's rail system, announced recently by President Barack Obama, will pay off in environmental benefits and reduced traffic congestion, two groups announced Tuesday.

Maryland Public Interest Research Group and the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance held a press conference at Baltimore's Penn Station to tout the funds. The state will receive federal funds to do advance engineering work to replace the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel and construct a new rail platform and station at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

"This project might one day be part of a national network of high-speed rail on par with the bullet trains of Europe and Asia, but it is going to take a long-term commitment from all levels of government to plan and fund the system," said Fielding Huseth, a spokesman for Maryland PIRG. "Without such a commitment, this recent momentum could be lost. We simply cannot afford a false start on high-speed rail."